Ryan Shawcross has named Sir Alex Ferguson as the most difficult manager he ever faced during his time at Stoke City and also revealed that he once brandished a sword in his direction.
Tough centre-back Shawcross joined Manchester United's academy as a 15-year-old and progressed all the way to the first team before a successful loan spell at Stoke became a permanent switch in 2008. However, it was while he was still at Old Trafford following an FA Youth Cup defeat to the Potteries that Ferguson pulled out the weapon to emphasise how disappointed he was with the loss.
Shawcross was naming his 'nightmare XI opposition' for the Stoke Sentinel which contained United legends Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo. The now-retired defender has no hesitation in naming Ferguson in the dug-out.
